A unique project in Rhymney has been educating young people about the dangers of off-road riding, as well as giving them opportunities to learn new skills.
The Treads project, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, was launched earlier this summer in response to concerns about anti-social and illegal off-road riding.
In addition to regular police enforcement in the area, the project aimed to educate young people about the dangers of illegal off-road riding as well as to encourage them to ride on legal tracks.
Local teenagers were invited to apply for the project, and five of those who were initially interviewed have just successfully completed the intensive eleven week course. In order to successfully complete the course, they had to pass each element, including keeping out of trouble with the police.
Over the eleven weeks the young people took part in a diverse range of activities. This included a visit to Ystrad Mynach College where they had the opportunity to speak to the college students about the importance of education and gain inspiration from the students’ own stories and experiences.
They also spent time working with qualified mechanics at Thunder Road Motorcycles where they were taught how to identify and fix faults on motorcycles and gained valuable insight about the protective equipment needed to ride motorcycles safely.
An emphasis was also put on First Aid and injuries associated with motorcycles use – each of the five successfully gained a First Aid qualification. They also had to face a hard hitting presentation by the Gwent Police Collision Investigation Unit, which highlighted the dangers associated with irresponsible motorcycling.
Countryside Rangers from Caerphilly County Borough Council and the Forestry Commission took the group out in 4×4 vehicles to show them first hand the environmental impact of illegal off-road riding. The young people had to learn the skill of dry stone walling under the guidance of Groundwork and built a five metre section of dry stone wall to earn an OCN qualification.
They also visited the Newport Speedway as guests of the Newport Wasps Motorcycle Speedway team and gained inspiration from their life stories.
At the end of the course, each participant had to prepare and deliver a presentation to their friends, family and other guests at a special event hosted by the Deputy Mayor of Caerphilly, Councillor Vera Jenkins.
The five participants, who successfully completed the course, were rewarded with a day of intensive off-road motorcycle training at the Yamaha Off-Road Experience in Llanidloes. This is one of the UK’s leading off-road schools and operated by ten times British Motorcycle Enduro champion, Geraint Jones.
17 year old Sean Bosley, who has had his off-road motorbike seized by police previously, has just been voted as student of the course. He said: “I wanted to do the course to learn about the dangers of off-roading. The course has given us all experience and taught us about teamwork. I liked the mechanics part the best as I can now fix faults on motorbikes. I would like to go off-roading again but will be riding legally in the future.”
Craig Bounds, an off-road rider and qualified coach with the Auto Cycle Union donated a one-off custom motorbike helmet, gloves, trousers and jacket to Sean for receiving student of the course.
Work is now underway on phase two of the Treads Project, to try and secure a number of local legal riding facilities where young people who have completed the Treads Project will be able to regularly attend and ride motorcycles. The young people will have to earn the right to take part in the ongoing opportunities to ride motorcycles by completing an agreed number of community work hours and keeping out of trouble with the police.
Rhymney Inspector Fran Richley from Gwent Police has worked with a host of local organisations and companies to bring the scheme to life. This includes Phillipstown Residents and Community Association, Pen Y Dre Tenants and Residents Association, GAVO, Communities First, Caerphilly Council, Thunder Road Motorcycles, Forestry Commission Wales, Groundwork, Newport Speedway as well as many more.
Inspector Richley said: “I have been so grateful for the massive support we have received to move this idea from a concept to reality. We wanted to make young people, who may or may not have ever ridden a bike, aware of the consequences that this type of behaviour can cause.
“However this project has proven to do more than that, because from the outset the young people recognised that being accepted onto and passing the Treads Project is not easy, hence our slogan, ‘It’s no ride in the park’. This course was run as a pilot and is now being evaluated. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to work with a group of young people, improve our relationships with them, and really watch them grow in confidence as well as help them to learn new skills and earn qualifications along the way.
“We’ve had lots of interest from other young people in the Rhymney area who are keen to take part, so we are hoping to run further courses in the not too distant future.”
Youth Worker with the Phillipstown Residents and Community Association, Suz Crawford said: “The Treads project has been a fantastic learning experience for both the young people and the staff and team members.
Young people have achieved new experiences, raised expectations and a sense of achievement by directly taking part in the course.
“The distance travelled by the young people who took part, in relation to personal and social learning, has been awe-inspiring and they should all be very proud of their achievements.”
Cllr Lyn Ackerman, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “Illegal off road biking not only has an impact on the countryside around us, it is also a form of anti-social behaviour and can impact on the quality of life of residents and those visiting our area. I am delighted that this excellent scheme has come to fruition to allow local youngsters to learn about the dangers of off-road biking in an educational and constructive way.”
The project has been made possible thanks to funding from Caerphilly Council’s Rural Development Plan, Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership, Communities First and Mentro Allan.
